# AMS modes and applications or workloads
<a name="ams-modes-and-apps-ug"></a>

Consider operational and governance requirements for your applications when selecting the right mode, either by requesting a new application account or hosting the application in an existing application account. The selection of the appropriate AMS mode for each application or workload depends on the following factors:
+ The type of SDLC lifecycle function that the environment will provide (e.g., sandbox with unmoderated changes, UAT with some frequent changes, production with minimal changes and highly regulated)
+ The governance policies needed (enforced through SCPs at the OU level)
+ Operational Model (if you want to own the operational responsibility or want to outsource that to AMS)
+ The desired business outcomes, like time to operate in the cloud, and cost of operations. 

**Note**  
For a descriptions of the mode types per AMS service, see [Types of modes and accounts in AMS](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/managedservices/latest/userguide/ams-modes-types.html).  
For real-world use cases of the different modes, see [Real world use cases for AMS modes](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/managedservices/latest/userguide/ams-modes-and-use-cases.html)

The following table outlines key considerations for application owners to help decide on the most suitable AMS mode. Application owners should include an assessment phase ahead of application migration to fully understand which mode applies to their specific application. Example: For applications based on cloud-native services or serverless architecture, the best option could be to start building and iterating in Developer mode and deploy the final Infrastructure as Code using AMS Managed – SSP mode. In this case light re-factoring may be required to ensure that any CloudFormation templates created for automated deployment meet the ingest guidelines laid out by AMS. Additionally, any IAM permissions need to be approved by AMS Security to ensure they follow the least privilege model.

The AMS mode selected to host the application, can help enable you to build towards you desired cloud operating model.

**Note**  
More than one cloud operating model can existing in a single AMS Managed Landing Zone based on the different AMS modes selected to host the applications. 

[\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/managedservices/latest/onboardingguide/ams-modes-and-apps-ug.html)

**\$1**Operations On Demand (OOD) has an offering for customers using the Standard CM mode to manage their changes through dedicated resourcing. For more details, see the [ Operations on Demand catalog of offerings](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/managedservices/latest/userguide/ood-catalog.html) and talk to your cloud service delivery manager (CSDM).

**Note**  
The price comparison between SSP mode and Developer mode assumes that the same AWS services are provisioned.

Comparing AMS Modes against business and IT objectives

![\[Comparison of AMS modes showing governance and flexibility against time to operationalize.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/managedservices/latest/onboardingguide/images/ams-modes-choosing-dcm.png)


As shown, if you are looking for a highly controlled and standardized governance model for you applications, then AMS-managed Standard Change, AWS Service Catalog, or Direct Change modes are the best fit. If you require a bespoke governance model with a focus on application innovation without the need for operational readiness, select Customer Managed mode. With Customer Managed mode, it could take you a longer time to operationalize you applications as you bear the responsibility to establish people, processes, and tools to support operational capabilities such as Incident Management, Configuration Management, Provisioning Management, Security Management, Patch Management, etc.